


Repo Mann

by MeticulousHand



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Assassination, Australium, Body modifications, Debts, Gore, Injections, M/M, Operas, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Surgery, Torture, abduction/kidnapping, drug usage, organ repossesions, slow and painful deaths, violence in general
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-10-30
Packaged: 2018-04-02 03:58:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4045027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeticulousHand/pseuds/MeticulousHand
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the year 2068 and an epidemic of organ failures has devastated the planet. Thanks to Mann Co., they provide organ transplants now on a payment plan. However, if anyone falters in making their payments on time, Mann Co. sends out their skilled assassin who has become infamously known as the Repo Mann to take back what their clients have failed to pay for.</p><p>Organ repossessions have been legalized and no one is safe.</p><p>What can we really do now?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Play Things

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to be honest with you, I really like Repo! The Genetic Opera and I really wanted to do an au based around it.
> 
> Also, this is an excuse to write something else for a while because I literally don't know what to do for the next chapter of Mes Nouveaux Jouets.
> 
> I'm stumped, I don't know what to write. I like to write something once every other Saturday but nothing came to mind over the week so while I have this idea in mind, I'd like to put it in.
> 
> When something does come to mind, I'll update the other fic. 
> 
> P.S.: If you have any ideas, I'd really like to hear them, thank you!

There's never any sunlight in this city anymore. It's all been fogged up with chemicals and blimps with huge screens attached to them; flashing current fashion trends and propaganda. When was the last time he even remembered seeing the sun? Feeling it beat against the back of his neck and warming his face with that fuzzy sensation... It had to have been several decades ago before everyone started dropping like flies. It was terrifying when it first started. The first symptoms would appear as to a simple stomach ache or cramp which led to limping, staggering, and always coming up short of breath. The final and most severe symptoms leading them to bleeding out of their eyes, noses, ears, and/or mouths until they were dried out. No one knew why this was happening or the cause of it all. Everyone's organs just started to fail and no one knew what to do. It all started around the 2030's. No one knew what to do about it and everyone was growing into a frenzied panic. Well except one company, of course. Mann Co. did. It's amazing, really. How a company as old as Mann Co. would still be kicking it for this long. It seemed like they saw a grand opportunity to take advantage again. After making a plan and expressing their ideology to save everyone from such a devastation, they came to an agreement and Mann Co. became everyone's "savior".

Of course there was a downside, but no one seemed to think twice about it. It seemed like a solid plan to these people. Sign up for a payment plan and get treated to live longer, right? Well, there isn't enough organs or body parts to go around and not everyone can make up their payments. A law was passed, legalizing organ repossessions. It didn't bother many people. Why would it? They were confident they could pay off their debts and it felt great to feel like they had another chance at life. Imbeciles. No one can afford to pay their debts off. That's probably why he still worked for Mann Co. Well, technically Gray Mann. Not that he completely despised his job or anything as the infamous Repo Mann. The Medic. Well, that's not his title anymore, now is it? He's just Repo Mann now. Sometimes just doctor.

The doctor walked down an alleyway. Steam poured out from the sewers which seemed to glow brighter due to the light of distant streetlights reflecting off of it. He stood closer to one of the walls on either side to click his watch to open up his agenda. A hologram of a young man showed up with his personal info listed off to the side. His eyes skimmed through it before he clicked his watch again and moved forward. His client was close by, that's for sure. His watch beeped as a reminder that he needed to find his client before the night ended but that wouldn't be a problem at all. The doctor peered out from his spot to see what appeared to be a convenience store of some sort down the street. Before he knew it, the man he was looking for walked out with a plastic bag in one hand and a pack of smokes in the other. The man stopped outside the store to take the time to light up a stick before lazily flopping the pack into the bag and making his way down the street. All the doctor needed to do now was wait. Wait until he would walk by him in front of the alley to make his move. 

The doctor was a patient man and he wasn't worried about wasting his time here. He had plenty of it, of course. It was then that the client stepped in front of the entrance of the alleyway, coughing briefly before being grabbed onto out of nowhere by a stranger and pulled into the alley. The cigarette fell out of his mouth and onto the moist pavement. It was nice to know that it seemed he was too petrified by the sudden attack to scream or yell. Or, at least until he looked up to see the masked doctor and realizing who had grabbed onto him. His eyes bulged and a whimpered noise stifled from him before he began begging.

"W-Wait, wait! I just need a little more time, man! I can get the money to you by tomorrow, alright?! Just give me more time!"

The doctor was patient but his patience was easily cut short if his clients begged and whined. He forced his back against the wall, choking him for a brief moment to delude him from his armed hand which quickly pulled up and swiftly made a clean cut across his neck with his scalpel. The man gurgled and choked on his own blood, but the doctor didn't necessarily feel like waiting for him to bleed to death in a dirty alleyway. He let go of the man who slid down the wall and grasped at his neck as he went to his medical bag that resided by his waist, pulling out all necessary tools to take back what truly belonged to the company. He knelt down and ripped his shirt off, flipping the man onto his belly to make an incision down his back. He cut, sliced, and peeled his skin and muscles back just enough to operate on him. His gloved hands worked with graceful speed and acute precision, cutting away and sawing through the back of his rib cage until his lungs were exposed. His hands reached for them and he pulled them through his back, letting them rest outside and exposing them to the air as the lungs inflated and deflated abnormally due to the man still choking to death.

"You know, this is called the Blood Eagle. An old viking ritual where a person would be sacrificed to Odin by having their lungs forced out from their back, allowing the sacrifice to slowly perish. As time passed, it was used more for severe punishments rather than just a mere sacrifice to Odin. I'll be honest with you, I have always wanted to try the procedure out myself, but never had that opportunity until now, of course."

He picked his scalpel up and cautiously removed the lungs and placed them in a airtight-closed bag. 

"I'm didn't need you to consent to the procedure, you didn't seem to care enough about them in the first place. I don't understand how someone like you can pay some good money for a transplant and waste them. Here you are, smoking away a pair of healthy, pink lungs. Disgusting. Ungrateful. Wasteful."

He placed them in a medium-sized icebox and cleaned up the scene somewhat. A nice thing about being a legal assassin working on the streets is that you don't really need to care much about the bodies. Special trucks come by and scrape them off the floor to be dumped on the other side of town. Too many people are still dropping dead. It's been thirty years and nothing much else has changed since it all started. Not everyone can have a grave, either. What bodies that are found on the street are taken to the other side of town and dumped off where they are slowly but surely moved into the incinerator to burn. Maybe that's what's causing the air to become worse than it was thirty some years ago and why more are dying at a rapid pace.

The doctor was genuinely curious as to how this whole epidemic broke out in the first place. Whenever he was able to find a civilian who hasn't signed up with Mann Co., he would run experiments to research it but little information was found over the past thirty years but that wasn't going to stop the doctor until he found a strong lead as to what was causing the human race to dissipate at such an alarming speed and from finding a way to cure this wretched disease.

x

The German stepped inside of the elevator and clicked a number that lead him to the head of Mann Co's. office. He walked in and plopped the icebox onto the desk and held his hands behind his back. 

"I got what you asked for. Is there anyone else I need to get or am I done for now?"

The chair swiveled around to reveal a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties. Short, black hair with an olive green bow tied in it. Her eyes were a piercing and brilliant shade of amber and the dress she wore matched her bow in color and it came down to her knees. The collar of the dress was white and fluffy as so was the end of her sleeves.

"Where's your father?"

"That's none of your business, Doctor Doctor."

The doctor took his Repo Mann mask off and curled it in the bend of his arm, adjusting his glasses as a scowl formed on his face.

"Miss Mann, I'd appreciate it if you just called me doctor."

"I did, Doctor Doctor!"

His nose scrunched up and he shook his head. Olivia Mann was still the CEO of Mann Co., but the one who was really in charge was Gray Mann. Olivia only listened to what her father wanted her to do and filled out paperwork here and there along with opening new buildings to the public and giving out speeches.

"Listen, when will your father be back?"

Olivia leaned forward in the chair, resting her elbows on top of Gray's desk and sighing.

"I'unno. Daddy said he was going to be gone somewhere and he wasn't sure when he'd be back!"

"Do you know what to do with this or--"

He gestured at the icebox but was cut off by the sound of Olivia snapping her fingers. A bulky robot walked over and stood directly behind the Repo Mann.

"#530, take this box down to the freezing unit."

The robot beeped in response and picked the doctor up and back down off to the side to get to the icebox. It picked it up and opened its chest compartment and placed it inside of itself. As it closed the compartment, it walked off to the elevator and left the room. 

"I suppose you do know what to do."

Olivia hopped out of the chair and walked around the desk to stand in front of the doctor.

"Of course I do! I have been working here for a little over a century now, you know."

It was weird whenever she talked like that. As if after all this time, he still wasn't used to hearing those words such as "centuries" and "decades" for example. It reminded him how old they really were and how they should have died a long time ago. However, thanks to the improved life-extending machines ( and thanks to sharing his genius ideas with Gray Mann), the Australium would last longer in their bodies. It was nice, not to have to have such a large contraption attached to their bodies. They were able to minimize it to the size of a thumb and were attached to the back of their necks. The machine worked more efficiently and it helped retain Australium longer in their bodies. A genius idea! Who would have thunk it? It's great but of course, it came with its own consequences. It did kind of hurt to know that people the doctor knew and maybe cared for died a long time ago, aging was still a thing they were all capable of (it just happened 10x slower), and it did feel kind of wrong to be living longer than they should have been allowed. How dare they play God. Well, that part didn't bother the doctor too much. He played God even before signing up to work for Gray Mann. 

"Right... Could you let your father know that I completed my task? I would like to go home and attend to my research for a while."

"Yes yes go home, Doctor Doctor."

"It's just... Doctor."

"I'm pretty sure it's Doctor Doctor. You can't fool me!"

It annoyed the German when she did that. How could a woman of her age still be acting like a little 8-year-old? The doctor couldn't be mad at her too long, though. After all these years knowing each other, it almost seemed like he did have a family of his own. Well, at least he looked to Olivia as the niece he always wanted. Grey Mann was a man the doctor wasn't too fond of. Almost actually loathing the man, really. But what can you do? You get hired by him and you're never allowed to quit unless he says it's okay for you to quit. He looked down at the young-appearing woman and shrugged in defeat. He turned his back to her and left without another word.

Olivia stood there, resting her hands on her waist as she pouted.

"You're no fun. I was only joking around, silly!

x

He walked in through his house and locked it behind him, securing it closed with a few more locks. Almost immediately, he made his way to his fireplace and opened it up. How cliche. Then again, cliche humored the doctor and if anyone did search his home for whatever reason, no one would think to check there. At least he hoped not. He closed the fireplace behind him and walked down the stairwell until he reached his hidden laboratory. He directly went in the sanitation area where an open shower stood along with a mirror and sink. The German stood there for a moment. Thinking and scanning himself. He was suited in a black, latex coat. Very roomy and perfect for his profession. It camouflaged him in the dark, nothing could stain it, and it was very easy to wash blood and other bodily fluids off of. Why did he never think of wearing this before earlier in his medical career? He hung his mask off to the side and removed his glasses temporarily to wash his face. He was tired, but his research was more important than his rest.

On the other side of his lab was a refrigerating room in which he kept more patients in. He cracked the door open and an icy fog flooded into the room almost eerily. In there sat a woman tied to a chair. It appeared that she was still unconscious after abducting her seven hours ago and it worried the doctor for a moment. If he killed her by accident, he probably wouldn't have the time to find any possible sources or causes of the epidemic without it dying with her. Fortunately for the doctor, he tested for a pulse and it turned out she was still alive. Knowing that, he untied her and carried her over to the examination table, strapping her head, neck, and limbs down to the table nice and tight. Once that was done, he pressed his glasses back onto his face and went over to his table that held all of his fancy tools. It was then he heard groaning. Perfect timing. He picked what he believed he needed and placed them onto a tray which sat on a mobile, metal table. He wheeled it over to the girl and pulled a tiny flashlight out, forcing each eye open one at a time to check them and jaw apart to check there as well.

"It's nice to see you're awake. Just in time for your appointment miss...?"

He waited a moment to see if she would tell him her name but all she could muster was another groan. He guessed she wasn't fully awake yet but it wasn't really important to learn the name of this woman, he supposed. 

"Right. Today you will be a part of my experiment. I know that may not fancy you but here's the rules, ready? If your body has what I'm looking for, I'll just extract it from you and you can go home. If it doesn't, well... We'll be spending more time together!"

He clasped his hands together in an excited fashion before one reached over to the tray to pull out a tourniquet. He tied it around her arm and tapped at it until it popped up. He pulled out a syringe and pricked her arm, pulling the suction back slowly as he filled the syringe with the patient's blood. Once that was over with, he cleaned the area and bandaged it, releasing the tourniquet and taking the syringe to another room where he inspected some of it carefully through a microscope and analyzed it in a test tray. After an hour passed, nothing abnormal could be traced. Pity. He made his way back to the woman who was now fully awake and trying to force herself out of her predicament. 

"Es tut mir leid bitte..." He trailed off as he was lost in his own thought.

His hand reached out for a pair of scissors that laid on the tray, making a cut down the middle of the woman's top and repeating the same process with her bra, pulling them apart from each other. The woman shrieked and screamed to which the doctor responded by standing still for a long moment. If there was anything the doctor hated more, it was the shrill noise a woman was capable of making. There would definitely be an end to that very soon. He replaced the scissors with a a syringe that was filled with a blue serum. He injected the contents of the syringe directly in her neck.

"I am your doctor for this evening so while you're awake, I will be explaining what I'm doing. What I used just now was Zydrate. As you know, it's a strong painkiller. However, I "watered" it down somewhat. I like to talk to someone when I operate and it's difficult to do so when your patient can't listen to you with the drug pumped in them. If I don't talk when operating, I tend to get nervous. You don't want a nervous doctor performing on you, do you?"

The woman continued to writhe and scream but she was slowly calming down, thanks to the drug. As she calmed down, the doctor took a black marker and began making marks on her abdomen. Once done, he capped the marker and pulled out a suture kit.

"Because the drug was watered down, it doesn't last as long. With that being said, you'll have to understand why I need your mouth shut."

He began to push the needle through her lower lip and pulled the thread through until it met the knot. He pulled it up through her upper lip and continued to sew it closed with grace. Surprisingly, she was quiet most of the time and more docile to allow him to proceed. When he finished, he cut off what was extra and admired his handiwork.

"Ah, that should do it. I can't concentrate on what I'm doing with you yelling; I'm glad you understand! Now, shall we begin?"


	2. Night Shift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boss has a new job for the Mann of Medicine. Well, more like a mission. Someone's been sneaking into the company's building lately, stealing and gathering confidential information and products from them and it's up to the Repo Mann to capture the culprits.

"Another successful procedure..."

The doctor took a step back to admire his work, pinching the ends of his gloves with his other hand to tug the latex off. He rolled it into a ball in his gloved hand and slipped the rubber off with his other, disposing the gloves appropriately in a waste basket. The body of the woman was still there. Was she still alive? Just barely. So much blood was lost during the procedure and it was obvious she was in agonizing pain. The doctor had made certain cuts down along her abdomen, navigating a special drill inside her where he had cut and sliced to drill through the gal's ribs. He then had used forceps to tug the ends of each rib through her flesh to expose them, the ends pressing and trying to force their way through the skin where the doctor had not made any incisions. He cleaned up the area and proceeded to make an average-sized slit around her belly, peeling back some skin and muscles until he was able to reach her innards. The German used his forceps again and had begun working on pulling out her small intestines, using his scalpel to cut a section of it out. Once out, he placed the section of intestines he had recently cut out onto his metal tray and quickly picked up his sutures, sewing the intestines that remained in the girl together. Of course once he completed that task, he sewed her belly closed as well with the thick, ugly sutures and turned to the portion of innards he had removed. He took one end and bent it to the other, sewing them together into a shape of a ring. At this time, the woman was still drugged but she was aware of what was currently happening and the most she could do was gently squirm in protest beneath his touch and cry until her eyes were bloodshot and snot dribbled down her nostrils. The doctor raised the ring he had made and showed it to the young gal before he placed it atop her head as if it were some kind of garland. The blood from her innards had begun to slowly stream down her hair and face, sickening her enough to make her vomit all over herself. 

"You shouldn't be doing that, you know. Upsetting your stomach like that can rupture the sutures I made earlier. Could you imagine yourself bleeding out to death like that? How horrible.."

The doctor had a clean towel resting in the handle of the tray, picking it up to wipe the vomit and blood away from the distraught woman. It had been an hour since the operation and he had noticed she was inattentive, wheezing, and had become pale. The doctor was done with her and planned to dump her soon-to-be corpse on his way out tomorrow before work. He only assumed that she actually did rupture the sutures from puking earlier and she was slowly bleeding out. Oh well. He walked over to the sanitation station and opened a drawer, searching through it until he found a handheld mirror. He walked over to the woman who had finally gotten the drug out of her system to hold it up for her so she could take a good look at herself.

"I think I did a pretty good job. This IS the current fashion statement in this generation, isn't it?" He asked, an excited smile and giddy expression spreading across his face. 

The girl didn't respond. She couldn't even focus where to look. The doctor frowned and returned the mirror, groaning. 

"I guess I don't understand. I thought surgery had become the new fashion trend; a niche. All of that work I just did? It was all for naught, I suppose."

He peeled off his uniform and hung it up on a hook. The doctor wore a white, button-up shirt with a red tie and sweater vest underneath his uniform. He rolled his white sleeves up and tugged the hose out from its holder, turning it on and spraying down the suit. As he finished, he hooked it back up and left his uniform there to dry. He went to check on the gal one more time but it looked like she had already passed, all color had left her face and her tongue had lolled out. 

"What a waste."

He left his secret laboratory and up to his room to prepare for his nightly routine.

x

The next day, he had gotten up and prepared breakfast which mostly consisted of toast with a honey spread, a plate of two sunny-side up eggs, ham, and some cheeses. Gray Mann had not called him in yet so he had decided to enjoy his morning until he was ordered to go see him. It was rather nice, to finally be able to sit down and relax for a while and actually get something to eat. It's been a long while since he was able to do that. He had a pot of tea on the stove which began to scream to alert the doctor that it was ready. He turned the stove off and poured himself a cup of tea, sitting it down on the table. He was actually able to eat his entire meal without being bugged by anyone for once and it was rather wonderful until his boss called. His watch beeped, "Incoming message from: Gray Mann. Incoming message from: Gray Mann."

The doctor held his wrist watch up and clicked the side button to answer the call. "Ja?"

"Doctor, I need to see you in my office. Immediately."

The doctor nodded and the call ended. It was only eight-thirty in the morning but at least he got to enjoy some of his morning before being called into work. He sighed and gulped the rest of his tea down, taking his dishes to the sink and cleaning them as quickly and thoroughly as he could before leaving his home.

x

As the elevator door opened, he walked in the room. His eyes meeting with Gray Mann's almost instantly. The doctor continued walking until he was directly in front of the old man's desk. 

"You called me in, sir?"

The old man didn't look happy in the slightest. Really pissed off and agitated, actually.

"It has come to my attention that someone is possibly targeting us; someone planning on attacking our company."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes... But the only evidence we have are unidentified footprints left behind in the storage room. One set are from what appear to be boots and the other flats."

"..... So I'm guessing you called me in to track down these people, yes?"

The old man nodded and curled his hands together.

"However, I want you to stay here tonight, find them, and bring them in to me unharmed. I want to talk to them personally, first. And then you can do whatever you want with them."

The doctor nodded to let him know that he understood his orders.

"That's all I have to say for now. Use the information I gave you to your advantage."

Gray Mann turned his back to the doctor as if to dismiss him from his office.

x

The German didn't even know where to start looking or who to be looking for. All that he was able to use was that it was possibly a woman and maybe a man that infiltrated the building. It was ridiculous, how do they not have any other information than that? They're a huge company; they should be covered in security cameras and heavily guarded by Gray's bots. These must have been a pair of professionals the doctor decided. The doctor himself didn't really care much for the company and would rather be doing other things but he's been bound to serve Gray Mann for nearly a century now. He hated thinking about his time. So much, that the thought of it kind of aggravated the man. He sighed and popped his Repo Mann mask on, scouting around the company's building inside and out.

x

A few hours had passed and nothing out of the ordinary happened. This was absurd, he should be doing something more useful and something actually worth his time. He had actually thought about just leaving the building just to tell Gray Mann the next day that he couldn't find anyone until he walked by the frozen storage area. In the darkness of the hallway that lead to the room, the door was just barely open. Of course, this piqued the German's interest. Someone was definitely here. He quietly opened the door enough for him to get in and he moved inside of the room, turning on the light inside of his mask to see more clearly and unhitching his bone saw from its holder on his back, arming himself just in case. He made sure his steps were light enough that no one could hear him come by. The doctor scanned and searched the room thoroughly and as he was about to give up, he could have sworn he heard soft whispers in the back. He followed the sounds until he came upon two silhouettes in the darkness. He stood a couple inches behind them, trying to make out who they were or what they looked like until he decided it would be best to knock them out while they were unaware of his presence but it was too late when one of the two turned and saw him, immediately punching him in the face. Thanks to the structure of the mask, the punch almost felt like nothing. He lunged at that person and angled his saw in a way so he could try to clock them out but the other person came up behind him and caught him in a hold, locking him up and cutting off his airways until he couldn't get anymore oxygen to his lungs and losing his senses, eventually blacking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There wasn't much to this chapter and I apologize for that, but the next one will be more fun, I swear!


	3. Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knew the past could really follow you

It was all hazy. He kept falling in and out of reality. One moment, he'd be awake but his vision would be blurred and the voices he heard would be muffled or incomprehensible and in the other moment, he'd black out again. It seemed like this would go on forever. When he finally began to regain his senses, the first thing he noticed was that he was bound to a wooden chair. Arms bound behind his back and ankles tied to the legs of the chair. The Doctor stayed as quiet as possible and struggled for a few minutes before giving up to actually notice the room he was in. The room was rather plain with brown carpet and green shades over the windows. In the room was also a dresser of some sort with a large mirror attached to the back of it and a few nonsensical decorations across the top of the dresser like wood fiddled into shapes of certain animals, some porcelain cases, and... There appeared to be a cage fit for a bird. A medium-sized bird. It was short but very wide with a deep bottom. The cage was practically empty aside from a branch and a little bed at the bottom of it.

Whoever these people are that kidnapped him, they most certainly were... Interesting from what he could imagine with what was in the room he was stuck in. There was no reason for him to fight against these binds and waste energy trying to rip them open. It wouldn't work. Instead, The German waited for his kidnappers to come in. While he waited, he tried to get a look of himself in the mirror. It looked like his entire attire was still on him, including his mask. Have these strangers seen who he was yet and simply put his mask back on? Or have they been waiting for him to wake up so they can see for themselves while he was conscious? Either way, having his identity as the Repo Mann would be bad news for him. And just like that, he heard a door creaking open with the chatter of two people.

The room was so awfully lit, it was hard to see who they were but their voices did sound familiar.

"Look, I didn't think we'd be caught so easily but this whole predicament is actually even better, now that we have this employee in our hands." A feminine voice spoke.

"Yeah, but what are we going to do after we don't need 'em anymore?"

The woman went silent, as if in thought. As she was about to speak again, the sound of wings fluttering interrupted her followed by a squeak. The bird flew for a brief moment only to stop and perch itself atop the Repo Mann's mask. An African Gray. It crouched somewhat and tilted its head this way and that as it looked through the blue plastic that protected the Doctor's eyes. It even went as far as to scratch at the plastic with its beak which made a comical screech. The bird opened its mouth and looked at the two people as if it found it so interesting and showed them the sound it made again more enthusiastically. The man the woman was speaking to couldn't help but snicker at his lovely bird and though the Doctor wanted to chuckle as well, he was a little more annoyed that the bird would most definitely leave permanent scratches on his mask and he'd have to buy a new covering for it if he even got out of here alive.

"Looks like Lori found a new playmate." The man said.

The Doctor took the chance to let them know he was awake. After all, there was no point in pretending to be asleep anyway. 

"She's quite a beautiful specimen." The Doctor commented.

"... And it looks like her playmate is awake and ready to talk some business."

The man came up closer to the bound German. When he was in full view, he squinted and recognized who he was almost immediately. He was actually very shocked that this man before him, the RED's last Sniper was still alive even today. But how was that even possible? Even though he recognized his old friend, he didn't say a word. The Australian crouched down and supported his weight on the balls of his feet as he inspected the Repo Mann, putting an arm out to encourage Lori to step on and hand him to the woman behind him. 

"It's time to reveal the monster's face eh, Pauling?"

'God, she was alive and well too.' the Doctor thought.

She simply nodded and the mask was pulled off, revealing the Mann of Medicine's face. The two were just as shocked as he was.

"... Doc?" The Australian asked, just barely above a whisper. "Is that really you?"

"Ja, it's me. Mystery solved and..." A snide looking grin crept on his face. "I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"

A short, fit of laughter left his lips but the former Sniper and Miss Pauling were still trying to understand the scene before them. The Doctor merely hmph'd, thinking his joke would have been at least somewhat funny. 

"Is that joke not in good taste? Out of style?" He queried.

"Doc, what the hell are you doin' workin' for that piece of shit Gray Mann??"

The Doctor's once smiling face began to harden and his eyes appeared to have become more sunken.

"I have a debt to pay."

"A debt. Really, a debt? Can't you just blow that no good vermin off and... and--!"

"And... what? Be killed? I know it's been.. long over-due since my predetermined death but I can't just die yet, I have some things to do first before I bite the dust."

"Oh yeah? Like wh--"

He interrupted him again and added, "That's my own personal business but I assure you, it's nothing positive for the company. And might I ask you what you two are still doing here on Earth? You two are just as guilty as me, Gray Mann, and his daughter."

Silence. The Bushman rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and Miss Pauling stepped in.

"We've been trying to take down Mann Co. for years now but because we'll be easily recognized by him, we've been working at a snail's pace. However, we're getting close to our goal onto bringing down the company. The time will be coming very soon." 

She patted the bird in her hold and averted eye contact with the bound man, shifting her weight and rubbing one of her elbows as if she was ashamed to admit it herself. A similar look could be seen on the Bushman's as well. The Australian stood up and went behind the German, unhitching his kukri from its holster and sawing off the ropes from his arms to his ankles. Once freed, the Doctor rubbed at his wrists and wobbled onto his feet. He must have been seated in that chair longer than he thought he was. 

"We could guess how you're still alive, Doc. I bet you're wonderin' how we're still here."

"Actually yes, I am. Do you mind filling me in?"

Miss Pauling walked in closer to the gang and pushed a tendril of her dark hair behind her ear.

"Basically, Dell invented a replica of Australium. It's hard to make, but it's easy to find all of the required ingredients for it. Just so we don't mess up, he left us a How-To."

"Conagher? He's here?" The Doctor gleamed. His genius partner that worked on so many inventions with him. It has been ages since he last saw him and he's dying to see him again.

"Naw. He's been long dead and buried. Lovely funeral, though."

That smile quickly vanished and a confused look sprawled on his face. "Dead? If he invented such a remarkable replica of Australium, wouldn't he be here, as well?"

"Mate didn't want to live longer than he should have. He said he believed it'd be defying God or somethin' and he ain't about that at all. He only helped us because he knew how important it was to take down Mann Co., even though he knew it'd be a difficult task for just the two of us.. Well. Three if you can help us out too."

"I.. Well..." The truth was, he wanted to help. He has had to live with such an insufferable man as his boss and, technically his master, to repay a debt which he didn't even know when it would end. Would it EVER end? Would he ever be free again?

"Medic, we understand if you can't help us, especially in your current position and how this all happened kind of out of the blue and all but..." She trailed off.

"But it'd be nice if you could. For old time's sake?" The Marksman grinned at him and gave him a wink. 

He grabbed the Doctor and pulled him into a full-on bear hug, hands wrapped all the way around his back tightly. The German yelped in surprise and his hands were held up in front of him defensively but eventually, they gently came down to wrap around the Aussie's, one hand patting his back. The Bushman laid his head in the crook of his neck and murmured just loud enough for him to hear. "We missed you, mate."  
Before the Doctor could say anything, the Marksman pulled back a bit and held out an arm, welcoming Miss Pauling. 

"Get in here, Sheila."

She stammered for a moment before deciding what to do. She went over to the dresser and opened the cage, putting Lori in and giving her a quick skritch on top of her head before joining them in on a group hug.

"I missed you all, as well."

The Doctor gradually left the place. As he stepped outside, he examined the house. It was a little home a little out of the ways of the city but that wouldn't be a problem for him. He wouldn't mind a little walking and some fresh air to clear his mind. That would be the perfect excuse for him to really think. As he walked, he held his mask in the bend of his arm and in his other hand was a scrap of paper that had a name of a place on there. Those serious words reverberated in the back of his mind.

'If you want to help us, meet us here at three o' clock. Sharp.'

He knows Mann Co. needs to be put out of business for good. It wasn't there to help anyone but for the Mann's to gain more power and authority in the world. There was no justice in what they did and it was time for them to pack it in. By the time the Doctor made it back to his home, he undressed out of his uniform and into nothing but a pair of red and white striped boxers and a wife-beater. After today, he was too exhausted to even think about a shower or eating anything. He'd have to do that when he woke up in a few hours to see his boss and tell him about his investigation. And when he decided to see his old colleagues, his old friends to tell them that he has made up his mind about what he really, truly wanted to do. They seemed to still trust him, even after all off these years that have come and gone. They let him go and didn't even think twice if he'd tell Gray Mann on them. He wanted to help.


End file.
